Divya Ratnam

MS in Human Resource Management and Development
Alumna, Class of 2011

After two years in sales at British Airways and seven years as a human resource manager with Genpact (formerly GE Capital International Services), Divya Ratnam, who previously earned a BA in Sociology from Delhi University and an MA in Sociology from the Delhi School of Economics and Social Sciences, felt the time was right to enhance her professional credentials by earning an MS in Human Resource Management and Development. "What appealed to me immediately was the program’s strong business orientation," Ratnam explains. "It offered a great breadth of knowledge not just in pure HR functions, but also in financial management and business strategy."

The hands-on nature of the curriculum impressed Ratnam right from the start, and one IT course proved to have far-reaching impact for her. "As part of our course work, we developed an IT solution for effective recruitment practices at a financial services firm and presented it to an external board brought in by the professor. After the presentation, one of the board members, the vice president of HR of a global luxury apparel firm, asked a member of the firm to contact us. One thing led to another, and I joined the company after I graduated. It was a very exciting opportunity for me," concludes Ratnam, "and a terrific return on my NYU School of Professional Studies investment."